Looking Beyond
by Ishkabibbles
Summary: Harry and Hermione have both lost the people most dear to them. As they stuggle to live, knowing what they can't have anymore, they must learn to go on...
1. Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to the great J.K.Rowling. I only own 3 cats and 2 dogs, and only 2 cats and 1 dog are really mine. Noises from the basement? Pay no attention to those…

A/N: Ok, dear readers, I am co-writing this with a friend of mine, pen name of lily-james-4ever010. We're probably going to chapter bounce, one me, one her, one me, one her… you get the idea. This one's by me.

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_**Looking Beyond**_

_**Chapter One:**_

**_By: MadameMing and lily-james-4ever010_**

It's cold in this room. It's always cold in this room. Which means that I'm always cold. Since I'm in here, at least, for a while. How long? I don't know. I could get out tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Maybe never. I'm here as long as he wants me to be. Who is he? I don't really know that either. He treats me well enough. The only rule is that I may not leave, but I have no desire to. He supplies me with the basics, food and water, etc. I am content to read, write, and listen to my music during my days, and sometimes nights.

Sometimes, while I am in here, I see strange things, that flash at the corners of my eyes. Creatures, beautiful ones, that I could only imagine. Too amazing to be real. But then I turn my head, nothing is there. Sometimes I draw these creatures. But once I finish them, and place them somewhere, I can never seem to find them again. Perhaps I'm not supposed to.

I hear music sometimes as well. Beautiful music, that makes me want to dance, and sometimes I do. I can never seem to remember the tune after it's over, but again, perhaps I'm not supposed to.

Occasionally, I hear noises in place of the music. Just slight noises, such as someone coming up the stairs, or a door opening. But they always make me jump. Even slight noises scare me, ever since the accident. What was the accident? To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure. I can remember almost nothing of the events that led me here. A little comes to me now and then, but not very often. At times, I can barely remember who I am.

Who am I? I honestly cannot tell you who I really am. I only know the name that is on my things. The name? _Ginny Weasley. _

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Harry Potter stood outside Ginny's room at St. Mungo's, listening to her talk. He began to wonder, as he often did, what life would be like if what had happened had never happened. He wished that he could go back and stop her from doing what she had done, but he knew he couldn't. He only had one person that he could really talk to about Ginny, only one person who really understood. They had lost someone they loved as well, a little differently.He sighed. He had to get out of here. He had to talk to Hermione.

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Hermione Granger stood in the kitchen of her flat, staring out the window as she drank her coffee. She couldn't function in the morning without her coffee. _Mmmm, good stuff,_ she thought. _Now I just have to remember to get more. _As she was thinking this, she heard a knock on her door. _Probably the paper. Now, where did I put my change? Ah, there it is,_ she thought, as she spotted it on top of the kitchen table. The knock came again. "I'm coming," she cried, making her way through the maze of boxes she had yet to unpack, even though she had moved in almost six months ago. She opened the door, not even looking up as she began talking. "Alright then, let's see, here's the money for this week, and, wait, how much do I owe you for next?"

"Hermione, I'm not the paper boy, I just need to talk."

As she looked up, Hermione knew who she would see, and she was right. Harry Potter was standing in her doorway.

"Can I come in, or are you actually going to unpack these today?" Harry asked, gesturing towards the boxes.

"You know very well there's a reason why I'm not unpacking those, the same reason why you keep that one box hidden at the back of your attic." she snapped back. In response, Harry just looked sad. Hermione sighed. "That's the reason why you're here, isn't it?" He nodded. "Well, come on in then."

Five minutes later, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table across from Hermione, drinking coffee. "This really is good coffee 'Mione, you weren't lying."

"I know, I got it at a muggle store in town. Fairly cheap too," she replied. She looked him straight in the eye. "But really, Harry, let's cut the small talk. You went to see Ginny again today, didn't you?"

Harry sighed, and put his head in his hands. "She was talking about her creatures again. And the music, and the man who seems to be keeping her prisoner. She has no idea who she is. She only knows her name, and she doesn't know why she's there. It's breaking my heart, Hermione!" Harry looked like he was going to have a breakdown. Hermione reached across the table and took his hand.

"Harry, you have to learn to let go. I know how much you love Ginny, but you really need to face facts. I really don't want to tell you this again, but I think you really know it, and refuse to let it surface. I'm sorry Harry, but she's probably never going to get better."

Harry stood up, looking furious. "How do you know, Hermione, how do you know? How do you know that she's never going to get better? How do you know? Have you ever had someone you love just be torn away from you like-" Here, he stopped. "Oh, Hermione, I'm sorry, it just slipped out, I didn't mean to-"

Hermione stood up, her eyes full of tears. "You know the answer to that question as well as I do," she said. "The answer is yes. Now, please leave. I don't want to talk right now." Then, she ran for her bedroom, and slammed her door.

Harry could hear the sound of sobbing coming from behind the door. He knew not to even try to make things better when she was like this, so he started to walk towards the door. As he made his way to it, he noticed a picture of Hermione and Ron on top of one of the boxes.

_Well, I guess she tried to unpack one box, _he thought. He flipped the picture over, knowing that she wouldn't want to see it later. Then, he walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.


	2. Chapter Two

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to the great J.K.Rowling. I only own 3 cats and 2 dogs, and only 2 cats and 1 dog are really mine. Noises from the basement? Pay no attention to those…

A/N: Ok, dear readers, I am co-writing this with a friend of mine, pen name of lily-james-4ever010. We're probably going to chapter bounce, one me, one her, one me, one her… you get the idea. This one's by her.

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_**Looking Beyond**_

_**Chapter Two:**_

_**By: MadameMing and lily-james-4ever010**_

Hermione sobbed into her pillow, trying not to remember that dark, cold night when everything changed. The night her world turned upside down.

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_Harry, Hermione, and Ron had heard from the Order that Voldemort was currently located in Godrics Hollow. They all knew that this was it. The final battle with Voldemort. They apparated to James and Lily's old house, and explored the neighborhood, searching for Voldemort. They finally found him in the graveyard where James and Lily were buried. Harry rushed forward, to curse Voldemort, Hermione and Ron at his side, but suddenly, Death Eaters surrounded them. They ran back to the shadows, knowing they couldn't take on all the Death Eaters at once. Suddenly, Ron spoke (as loud as he could without Voldemort and the Death Eaters hearing him). "I'm going out there."_

"_Ron, you CAN'T, there must be another way!" shrieked Hermione. She and Ron had been dating for about a year, after finally admitting that they loved each other._

"_Ron, NO!" said Harry, under no circumstances allowing his friend to die for him._

"_It's you that has to go on, Harry. Not me, not Hermione, you."_

"_Ron, NO! Don't do this to me! You can't!" Hermione sobbed, grabbing Ron's arm._

"_Hermione, I must! Would you rather me die, just one person, or millions of innocent people? If I don't do this, Voldemort will kill you or Harry, and live on! We have to defeat him, Hermione!" Ron turned to Harry. "Harry, I'll distract him. He'll think I'm you, until I'm dead. When he says the killing curse, you do the same to him, alright?"_

"_Ron! I can't let you do this! You're my best mate!" said Harry desperately._

"_Exactly, Harry! I'm your best mate. Let me do this! Please."_

_Harry realized this was Ron's last wish, his final order. He sighed, and then nodded at Ron. "Alright."_

"_HARRY! What are you doing? Talk him out of it, Harry, please! PLEASE! Ron, don't do this! We can figure out another way! Don't!" Hermione sobbed. Ron tried to pull his arm out of Hermione's grasp, but she wouldn't let him._

"_Hermione, let go of me! I have to do this! Petrificus Totalus," Ron said, putting Hermione in a full-body bind. "Please understand, 'Mione. Please. It's for your own good, so you don't get hurt trying to save me! I love you, Hermione. I'm sorry, but please understand. Never forget me." Ron turned to face Harry. "Harry, do you understand what you have to do?" Harry nodded. "Alright, here I go, then," Ron gave Hermione a quick kiss, told her he loved her, and sighed. "Harry, you're my best mate. Take care of her while I'm gone, alright? And take care of Ginny too. And-and tell Malfoy what I thought of him, alright?" Ron grinned weakly. "Bye, mate. Thanks for choosing to be my friend all those years ago, instead of Malfoy's. I love you, 'Mione," he said to Hermione again. Then he closed his eyes, and gulped, turning quite pale. He stepped out of the shadows, and moved so that Harry and Hermione could not see him. Harry looked back at Hermione, who was quite pale._

"_VOLDEMORT! COME AND FIGHT! I'M HERE!" said Ron, in a very convincing Harry-ish tone._

_Suddenly, Voldemort stepped out behind a tombstone, lunging towards Ron, apparently not realizing that he was not Harry at all. Harry swallowed, and took a step forward. This was it. _

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!" shouted Voldemort and Harry in unison. Harry and Hermione heard two screams; a cold, high-pitched scream, and a loud, frightened, and bloodcurdling scream coming from Ron. Harry covered Hermione's eyes, seeing as she couldn't do it herself. They then heard two loud, chilling thuds, Voldemort's and Ron's bodies falling to the ground. Harry turned to see if Hermione was still frozen, full of hope that perhaps Ron had survived. But Hermione was moving again. Ron was dead. They rushed towards the lump that was Ron's body, completely ignoring Voldemort's body for a period of time. The death eaters seemed too shocked that their leader was dead to do anything about Harry and Hermione. Hermione sobbed, and flung her arms around Ron's cold, still body. His eyes were still wide open, and his mouth was stretched as if it were screaming. His skin was paper white, and his hands were already starting to get cold. Harry gasped in alarm. Ron's body was directly on top of his parent's, James and Lily Potter's, grave. "No," Hermione cried. "He's-he's…really gone." _

_Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and tried to comfort her. "It's what he wanted to do, Hermione. We couldn't stop him. No one could ever stop Ron when he wanted to do something."_

_Hermione suddenly flicked a spider off of Ron's body. "He…he hated spiders," she said. "He wouldn't have wanted spiders all over him when he died." Harry nodded. They sat there next to Ron's body for what seemed like hours, crying silently together, and reliving happy memories of when Ron was alive._

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Hermione's body shook with rage at Voldemort, for ever being _born, _and at herself for allowing Ron to sacrifice himself. Her face was stained with tears, and as much as she tried, she could not stop crying. Ron was gone. He was really gone. Hermione would never forget his chilling, terrified scream, the second he died. She could never forget the terrible thud of his body falling to the ground, which made her shudder every time she thought about it. And as much as she tried, she could never forget Ron Weasley.


	3. Chapter 3

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to the great J.K.Rowling. If I did own Harry Potter, well, I wouldn't be typing this now, would I? Noises from the basement? Pay no attention to those…

A/N: Ok, dear readers, I am co-writing this with a friend of mine, pen name of lily-james-4ever010. We're probably going to chapter bounce, one me, one her, one me, one her… you get the idea. This one's by me.

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_**Looking Beyond**_

**_Chapter Three:_**

**_By: Ishkabibbles and lily-james-4ever010_**

Harry walked down Hermione's street, remembering the night that Ron died, and trying to understand how Hermione felt. In Ron, he'd had a best friend, almost a brother. But Hermione… she'd had something else with Ron, something that was more than just friendship. Sure, they had been dating, but Harry knew that there was more to their relationship than friendship, more than just love. It was almost as though they'd had some sort of special bond. It was how Harry had been with Ginny. He was her best friend, her boyfriend, and more. Harry sighed. He missed Ginny terribly. She may not have been dead, but having her this way was just as bad. It was as if she was dead. He wanted her back, more than anything. He would have done anything for her; he would have died for her. He wished she had let him help her that night. That night…

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_It was the battle before the final one, before Ron died. Voldemort had come to Hogwarts, in another effort to kill Harry. He had brought an entire army of Death Eaters with him. The Order, and some former DA members, were there to help Harry, but he knew that he would have to face Voldemort himself._

_Although Harry had wanted her to stay where it was safe, Ginny insisted upon being at the battle. It was useless to try and talk her out of it, so Harry had reluctantly let her come. Looking back on it, he wished he'd put up more of a fight. _

_Once in the heat of battle, spells flying everywhere, Harry found himself and Ginny facing none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' murderer. She grinned evilly._

"_So, we meet again."_

_Harry simply glared at her, not speaking_

"_Won't talk to me? Poor little Harry still upset over the death of my cousin?"_

_Full of fury and anger, Harry finally found the words he wanted to say._

"_You would know. You killed him, you cold heartless BITCH!" By the end of this, Harry was screaming._

_Bellatrix just laughed. "Oooh, I'm just **terrified**. I would just love to kill you myself, but the Dark Lord's orders must be obeyed." Then, she saw Ginny. Bellatrix smiled nastily. _

"_What a pretty little thing. Your girlfriend, boy? She seems to mean a lot to you…"_

"_Yes, she does, and if you do anything to her, I swear that I'll kill you!" Harry realized this was a mistake the moment the words left his mouth. Now they knew what Ginny meant to him. He'd just put her in an incredible amount of danger._

_Bellatrix laughed again. "Here is something that I can do myself. Crucio!" she cried, pointing her wand at Ginny. Ginny screamed, writhing on the floor in pain._

"_NO!" Harry yelled, remembering that Bellatrix was the one who had tortured Neville's parents to insanity. He dove for her, forgetting his wand. _

"_Pertrificus Totalus!" she cried. She hit Harry square in the chest, rendering him immobile. All he could do was lay on the floor, unable to move, to help Ginny. He was forced to watch her scream in pain as Bellatrix continued to torture her._

_After the battle, Ron and Harry had carried Ginny to the hospital wing, waiting for days to hear if she was going to be alright. But news did not come until after the final battle. Ginny had been moved to St. Mungo's permanently, due to her condition. _

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Harry had lost a best friend and a girlfriend in the war. He hated to remember, but sometimes, he had to. When he did, a flood of different emotions hit him, all at once. Fear, anger, love, rage, hate, they were all there. He loved Ginny with all his heart, and couldn't bear to see her this way. He constantly berated himself for letting her come in the first place. But what was done was done, and nothing could be changed. Nothing would ever change.

Harry trudged down the street, alone, but not quite. Ginny was always with him, as she had always been. Always laughing, always happy. They were together, body and soul. Much as he tried, he could never forget that night. Much as he tried, he could never, would never forget Ginny Weasley.


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